A U.S. soldier prepares to deploy a Raven unmanned surveillance drone in Afghanistan in 2010: The military continues to shift its strategy to cheaper, robotic airplanes. Bryan Denton/Corbis

January 10, 2012

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When the Obama administration unveiled its plan last week to cut roughly half a trillion dollars from future Pentagon budgets, many analysts seized on Obama's call for more unmanned military drones and fewer ground forces. Some critics are skeptical that a "leaner," technology-reliant military can really keep the country safe. But Obama's latest move is part of a much larger trend: As computerized warplanes become safer, more advanced, and cheaper to produce, the military relies on them more and more. Here, a look at America's growing fleet of robotic aircraft, by the numbers:

1/20Approximate fraction in 2005 of military aircraft that were unmanned drones

1/3Approximate fraction today of military aircraft that are unmanned drones

7,494Unmanned drones the military now has in its fighting force

161The military's supply of "iconic" Predator and Reaper drones — made famous for their missions over Pakistan and Yemen